Oregon Thief Found Dead In Bizarre AR-15 Semi-Automatic Incident

An Oregon robbery suspect is dead in what is being described as a bizarre AR-15 Semiautomatic rifle incident. Polk County law enforcement found Genaro Hernandez Mendoza’s dead body inside a stolen truck late last week. The 19-year-old man had multiple pieces of stolen property inside the truck – including two guns.

Genaro Mendoza allegedly robbed the same West Salem area home twice the day before. Oregon police officers believe he broke into the one the first time and stole several belongings that he ultimately hid on his family’s farm. The AR-15 semi-automatic rifle was not reportedly taken during the first robbery.

Polk County investigators feel that Genaro Mendoza returned to the same home and stole more items, including an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle. When the teenager’s body was found on Sunday morning, both a shotgun and the AR-15 were near the suspected thief, The Blaze reports.

Oregon detective John Williams stated that the weapons were placed side-by-side on the passenger area floorboard. The barrels of both the AR-15 semiautomatic rifle and the shotguns were pointed towards the driver. The sheriff received an emergency call early Sunday morning about a gunshot victim on a patch of farmland outside of Independence, the Albany Tribune reports.

The police investigator believes that a shotgun lever managed to get under the trigger guard on the AR-15 rifle. Officers reviewing the scene feel that Genaro Hernandez Mendoza hit a bump when driving the stolen trick, causing the semi-automatic rifle to fire.

The Oregon suspected thief was reportedly struck once during the fatal freak accident. Polk County Sheriff Bob Wolfe noted that officers are still investigating the crime scene to make sure that no one else was involved in the firing of the AR-15 semiautomatic rifle.

The engine of the stolen truck had been running for hours before the body was found, the San Francisco Gate notes. The sheriff stated that it appears clear that the suspected thief failed to store the firearms safely, causing the teenager to lose his life. The stolen property has reportedly been returned to its rightful owner.